Power Point Ministries - Jack Graham

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of doctor Graham's booklet God's Promises
for Doubt Filled Days. But first, here's the message, the
first freedom.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Begin finding in your bibles the Book of Second Peter,
Second Peter, Chapter two. One of the most important issues
of our day is that of religious liberty, freedom of religion.
And you need to know that in the heart of
creation of man, God gave us freedom, and it is

(00:43):
the first freedom. When God created Adam and Eve, he
breathed into them the breath of life, and they were
given the opportunity to worship God, to walk with Him,
and also to choose freedom, to choose to obey or
disobey God. And you know the tragedy of that story
when Adam and Eve, like all of us, have chosen

(01:05):
to disobey God, that it brings death and destruction. But
it is a freedom. God did not make us robots.
He did not coerce us. The Bible says, Jesus stands
at the door and knocks, and if anyone opens the door,
he said, I will come in. Jesus will not burst
down the door to come into our lives. But he
waits for us, and the Bible says, whosoever will may come.

(01:30):
So the first freedom is the freedom that God gives.
Freedom is a gift from God. It is not a
gift from government. But freedom is a gift from God. Now,
of course, religious freedom is the first freedom listed in
the US United States Bill of Rights. It is a

(01:50):
foundational truth in our faith. It is a foundation truth
in our nation, the United States. The explorers, the pilgrims,
the colonists, who all came to this nation centuries ago,
came in great part in search of the freedom to
worship God and to practice their faith, their religion. And

(02:14):
it is therefore the first freedom in the Bill of
Rights that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. So there
you have it, first freedom spiritually. It is the first
freedom politically in our nation. So what does the Bible

(02:37):
say about this? In One Peter, Chapter two, it speaks
of this great freedom verse sixteen. Live as people who
are free, not using your freedom as a cover up
for evil. Liberty is not license to do anything you want,

(02:57):
not as a cover up for evil, but living as
servants of God. Honor everyone, love the brotherhood, which speaks
of the Church. Fear God, honor the Emperor. That's God's word.
Live as free men and women, and honor the people

(03:20):
around you. Here's the sermon in a sentence. Where Jesus reigns,
freedom rules. Where Jesus reigns, freedom rules. The Scripture says,
where the spirit of the Lord is, where God is,
there is liberty. So under God, because of God, by

(03:41):
God's decree, we are designed to live as free men
and woman. Everyone created by God is given the opportunity
to choose him or not to choose him. God says,
I've set before you life and death. Therefore life. It

(04:01):
was Joshua who stood in front of the children of
Israel and said, choose you this day who you will serve?
As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
Elijah stood before the people of Israel and said, choose today.
He said, why are you halting or limping between two opinions?

(04:22):
Make up your mind. If bail is God served bail,
If God is God, serve the one True God. This
is freedom. This is choice. So the founders and the
framers of our nation's documents and our constitution and country itself.
People like Washington and Adams and Jefferson, those are the
first three presidents. They all believed in freedom of religion.

(04:47):
Freedom of religion. Now, not all of these would be
called all of these men and founders and framers would
be called Bible believing Christians. Many of them were, in fact,
many of the signers, most of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence, history tells us were committee Christians. But

(05:08):
Jefferson would be example of one who would not be
quote a Bible believing Christian. Yet Jefferson and all these men, Washington, Adams, Monroe,
all of them, they believed in religious freedom. It's the
first freedom. It's the core of all the other freedoms.
The freedom that we have to worship provides an opportunity

(05:30):
for us to experience every other freedom in life, and
freed of religion includes freedom from religion. In our country
and our nation, no one is commanded to believe or
not to believe. This is not the propriety of the state.
The government does not control the church. We do believe

(05:53):
properly understood in the separation of Church and State. Now,
the separation of church and state does not mean the
separation of God and government, as we're going to see
in just a moment. But we do not believe in
a state church. The Church of America is not the
Baptist Church, it's not the Catholic Church, it's not the
Episcopalian Church, it's not any church. We don't have a

(06:15):
state church. We have a free church in a free state.
But we do know that the Church of the Lord
Jesus Christ is essential, essential to the spiritual well being
and the spiritual condition of our communities and of our
families and our faith. So much hurt and pain and struggle.

(06:38):
You're reading the statistics, aren't you, of the alcohol abuse,
of the family breakdowns, of the anxiety, the depression, the pain,
the struggle that people are facing in our country right
now and around the world. People are dying without Christ.
People are dying with diseases of all kinds. So people
need Jesus, and yes, they need the church, because the

(07:00):
church is the Jesus movement of every generation. The Bible
commands us to gather God's people in Hebrews ten twenty five.
Do not abandon the church, don't forsake the assembling of yourself,
neglecting to meet together as the habit of some, but
encouraging one another. And so much the more as you
see the day approaching the separation of church and state,

(07:22):
which does not appear in our official documents, but that
phrase appeared in a line given by Thomas Jefferson written
in a letter. The separation of church and state means
no respecting of a certain religion. Keep the church separate,
keep the state separate from the church. God has established
three institutions for culture and community society, and that is

(07:45):
first and foremost the home and family marriage. Secondly would
be government, and God established a government as we saw
in Revelation or part of me Romans chapter thirteen, that
all governing authorities come from God and established by God.
And then the church. And each of these, though dependent

(08:06):
upon one another in society, family, church, and government, they
are separate of one another. Now to say separation of
church and state does not mean we should not be influencing,
AsSalt and light our culture in a decaying and darkening world.
We need to be salt, and we need to be light,

(08:28):
and we need to be engaged and involved in the
political process as well as the spiritual proclamation of the Gospel.
But because we care about issues, and we care about communities,
and we care about families. Can you imagine can you
imagine God establishing government as he has again Roman thirteen.
God establishes government and then telling Christians to stay out

(08:49):
of it, telling Christians just to hunker down in your churches. No,
our witness of the Gospel includes our prophetic role in
the culture. Religious freedom includes conscientious objection if you are
objecting to something that defiles or defies your conscience. Like

(09:13):
Daniel in the Old Testament, he was commanded to eat
of the king's delicacies. It defied his conscience or defiled
his conscience, typically his his his life. It was the
Mosaic law. He couldn't do it. He refused to do it,
but he did it respectfully. It worked out a deal,
if you will. He was a man of excellent spirit,
and everything worked out great. But later on his friend

(09:36):
Shadrack Mishak and a Bendigo, when they were commanded to
bow before the image of the King Naviganese of the
Great Idol and on threat of death penalty in the
fiery furnace, those three young Hebrews said, we don't even
have to discuss this. We may burn, but we will
not bow before your idol Oh King. And there times

(10:00):
when Christians around the world, and increasingly in America, if
we object, conscientiously object to something, we must be willing
to say I must obey God and not men. What
you need to know is that this thing of being
religiously and vocally committed to liberty, this is not just

(10:24):
a church thing. It's not just a preacher deal. It's
at the heart of our very freedoms as human beings.
How you practice your faith, or how you choose to
worship your God, how you choose to live your life.

(10:44):
We believe that every freeborn American has the right to
openly witness of their faith in Christ, and we're grateful
for that ability. But we must continue to fight this
good fight, or those freedoms will be taken away. They
will be taken away unless we are willing to stand
for religious freedom.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
the First Freedom. We want to remind you that generous
friends of PowerPoint have put forward a one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars matching grant which will double your best
gift today to encourage more people around the world with
the hope of Jesus Christ. We'll say thanks for your
gift of ten dollars or more by sending you a

(11:24):
copy of doctor Graham's booklet God's Promises for Doubt Filled
Days to help you face all of life's trials knowing
God is always there for you. Call one eight hundred
seven ninety five four six two seven. That's one eight
hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. You can
also text the word promises to five nine seven eight nine.

(11:46):
Don't let stress rob you of peace. It is possible
to break the destructive grip of stress on your life
and enjoy the peace and abundance God desires for you.
That's what doctor Graham helps you do in his booklet
Breaking Free from Stress. We'll say d you a digital
download of Breaking Free from Stress when you sign up
for email updates from PowerPoint Today. Just go to PowerPoint

(12:06):
dot org slash stress and sign up today. Now let's
get back to today's message. The First Freedom and Acts,
Chapter five.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
Peter and John were brought before the Jewish court, the Sanhedrin,
and they were told never to speak in the name
of Jesus again under threat of punishment, even death. Peter
and John said, Acts chapter five book, we don't even
have to discuss this. We're not to have a church
meeting and decide what to do. We must obey God

(12:40):
and not man, and we cannot help but speak what
we have seen and what we have heard. Peter had
denied the Lord at the cross, and he was determined
he would never do it again. Now fill with the
Holy Spirit courageously boldly, he says, no matter what, we
are going to stand for Jesus and our faith. And
that same compel command is ours as well. In Acts

(13:02):
chapter one eight, Jesus said, be my witnesses. After the
Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will be my
witnesses to the ends of the earth. There is no
choice but to obey God. Ever ever, and when you
were ordered to be silent, you have no choice but
to speak and to share your faith. As Christians, we

(13:25):
are respectful of the law. We want to be good citizens,
but we must obey God and not man. Jesus himself,
while he suffered, he did not lash out. He was respectful.
He submitted himself. But look, Martin Luther said, where the
battle rages. They're the loyalty of the soldier is tested.

(13:50):
The battle is raging. Church. This is not a time
for us to stand down. It's time to stand up.
David ran to the battle against the giant. When David's nation,
Israel was at stake, taunted by an ungodly felicity. David

(14:10):
couldn't understand when why no one would go and fight
the giant. But he went with those stones in a slingshot,
And the Bible says he ran to the giant. He
ran to the Bible, and so must we. I refuse
to hide in the battle for the godliness and the
goal of loving our country. We will either stand or

(14:32):
we will fall. We are a nation either under God
or a nation that will be gone under We will
either be a nation above God or a nation under God.
Many have given their lives to preserve and protect our freedom,
starting with the first freedom, the freedom of religion. The
freedom of religion is different. That's what some describe as

(14:55):
the freedom of worship. The doctrinaire of the Constitution is
not the freedom of worship. That is, you get in
your church, get in your synagogue, get in your place
of worship, stay there, don't come out. That's freedom of worship.
You can do that all you want to do. But
the freedom of religion, the freedom of religion, which is
the first Amendment, means that we can practice our faith

(15:18):
in the public square, that we can use our influence
wherever we go. We don't just shut our doors in
the churches and talk to each other. We're not just
an echo with one another. We are to be a
light in the world. America was born in the search
for religious freedom. Now we don't want, as I said,
a state manated or controlled church, but we do want

(15:41):
the church influencing the culture. We do want Christians lighting
up the night. The fact that some people don't want
God in government is for the same reason they don't
want God in their lives. They don't want God interfering.
But if our nation forgets God, we will soon be

(16:03):
a nation like any other nation that forgets God forgotten.
The Bible says, blessed is the nation whose God is
the Lord. The Bible says righteousness exaltin nation. But sin
is a reproach to any people. So that's something of

(16:27):
what religious freedom is. How should we practice this religious freedom?
Number One, Pray for our nation and our nation's leaders pray,
and this comes right out of the Bible. Our need
to pray. Look at what the Scripture says in One Timothy.
First of all, then I urge that supplication, prayers, intercessions,

(16:47):
and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and
all who are in positions, that we may lead a
peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
So there you have it. Pray by name for the
leaders of our country, all who serve, whether it's the
mayor or the city council person or a school board member.

(17:09):
You should be praying for these by name, certainly our president,
and we should be praying for our military, those who
serve our country in every way. That's what this is
all about. The Bible says in Proverbs twenty one and
verse one, the king's heart is in the hand of
the Lord as rivers of water, and he turns it
however he will. Every king, every president, every leader, their

(17:33):
heart is in the hand of God, somehow, in the
providence of the sovereignty of God. When we pray, God responds.
I know God knows what he's going to do. He
knows exactly what he's going to do. I'm nicely, but
we are to pray, and we're to pray for our leaders.
God presides over every government. We are to practice. Secondly,

(17:53):
citizenship That includes not only voting, but according to the Bible,
sorry about this, but paying our tax Jesus said, render
unto Caesar. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to
God's what is God's. Now should we work for just
tax system? Of course, can we vote for candidates who

(18:14):
will lower our tax rate? Yes, of course you can't.
That's our freedom. But we should happily and gratefully pay
our taxes. I remember my pastor years ago. I didn't
quite understand it as a boy, but Fred Swank, my pastor,
used to say things like that. He said, you ought
to thank God for the privilege of living in American
paying taxes here. It's the greatest nation on Earth, and

(18:38):
it's a mighty cheap price to pay for living in
the greatest nation on planet Earth. Pay your taxes and
do it well. It's a privilege to support America. Thirdly,
we ought to practice patriotism. Now, I know this sounds
old fashioned to some today, but I am unapologetically a patriot.

(19:05):
When you think of what God has done, the price
that has been paid, the freedom that has been bought.
We all should know and appreciate our history, not some
rewrite of history, but the great patriotic American history of
our nation, the founders that gave us this freedom. And
that's not happening. Many of our many of our students,

(19:27):
are not hearing the great stories of American patriots and patriotism.
And we need to teach the great lessons of history
of our nation. Now. I know you have some globalists today,
including people in churches, who say you can't put America first.

(19:50):
Putting your country first doesn't mean you don't love other countries.
We as Christians, we love people from every country of
the world, but we love America first. If we are
a mas Americans, listen, I am a Graham. I have
a family, the Graham family. I love my family. Now
I love your family. I do, but I don't love

(20:11):
your family as much as I love my family. You
have a right to put your family first. In fact,
you have a responsibility. The Bible says if any person
does not provide for his own family, especially of his
own house, he's worse than an infidel. So of course

(20:32):
you put your family first, but you still love other families.
And of course you put America first. If you love America,
though you love people from around the world. Well, I
love America, and there's nothing wrong with the love, the
patriotic love of country. Of course I love Jesus first.

(20:54):
Of course, we know that he is above all. Of
course we know to seek first the Kingdom of God,
God and his righteousness. Of course, of course, of course
God is above government. God is above all. But that
does not diminish our ability and call to freedom to
love our country. Jesus helps me love my country more

(21:18):
than I could possibly love it on my own. So
practice patriotism, good citizenship, honor the King. That's what the
scripture says, and then preach to the government. We're not
saying America right or wrong. We know there are things

(21:40):
that are wrong in America, many things wrong. We know
that we must preach the word of God. We know
that we must tell our leaders when they are wrong,
when laws are unjust, that we are to say something.
There are people who want us just to disappear and hide,

(22:01):
stay in our churches and stand down. But if we
don't speak, if we're silent, it's a sin. Against God.
We're to preach the gospel. We're to preach the word
of God. We're to preach on the issues of our times. Now,
I know that there's some people who don't like it
when I speak on issues that they say are quote,

(22:22):
political issues. Why has the pastor talk about these political things? Well,
your life and your family is all about politics, and
most everything in your life has political consequence or impact.
Murder is political. Abortion, that's political, homosexuality, that's political marriage,

(22:46):
that's political adultery, immorality that's political. And we are to speak.
I could go on and on. We have a responsibility
to speak prophetically to the political issues and cultural issues
of our time. Nathan spoke to David in his sin.
Moses foke to Pharaoh, had said, let my people go.

(23:07):
Elijah stood before Ahavin Jezebel, and call down fire from
heaven and judgment upon them. John the Baptist stood fearlessly
in the face of Herod, and he lost his head
over it, but he stood courageously. Yes, we must speak
to the issue. We can't stand on the sidelines and
play water boy to the game of life. We're to

(23:31):
give government what is due government, and to give God
what is due to God. The greatest revivals in history
have taken place in the darkest of times. We should
never give up. We should never stop praying, stop witnessing,
stop standing for what is right. We can't quit. God

(23:53):
can send revival to me. God can send revival to
you again. We're not saying our country right or wrong.
Are things that need to be changed in our country.
There are many.

Speaker 3 (24:04):
Things we need to get right with God. Get right
with God that he would revive our hearts. Revive our hearts.

Speaker 1 (24:16):
And I make sure you're listening to PowerPoint with Jack
Graham and the message the First Freedom. When doubt creeps in,
fear overwhelms, and the future seems unclear, God's word is
there to remind you that he is always faithful. That's
the subject of doctor Graham's booklet, God's Promises for Doubtfilled Days.

(24:37):
In this powerful resource, you'll discover how God meets you
in your fear with peace that surpasses all understanding, comforts
you in your trials, and guides you through confusion with
his unchanging truth. God's Promises for Doubtfilled Days is our
thanks for your gift of ten dollars or more to
share the Gospel with a world desperate for hope, and
thanks to a one hundred and fifty thousand dollars matching grant,

(25:00):
your gift today will be worth twice as much. So
call now to request your copy and thank you for
your support. Call one eight hundred seven ninety five four
six two seven. That's one eight hundred seven ninety five
four six two seven. You can also text the word
promises to five nine seven eight nine, and don't forget

(25:20):
to visit Jack Graham dot org where you can shop
our eastore, give a gift online, or sign up for
doctor Graham's free daily email devotional. Our website again is
Jack Graham dot org. Pastor what is your PowerPoint for today?

Speaker 2 (25:35):
I want you to know how grateful I am for you.
None of this would happen without the consistent support of
listeners just like you through your gifts and prayers. PowerPoint
broadcast the Gospel in over eight hundred cities and on
TV in one hundred and thirteen countries. Those numbers are exciting,
but the best part is that each one of those

(25:56):
broadcasts is an opportunity to share the love of God
with someone who needs it. You are helping get the
Gospel into homes and cars and headphones all over the
world to the ends of the earth. Thanks to your support,
thousands of people visit our website and see our social
media feeds every week. That's thousands of people who are
finding the encouragement and hope they need, whether they're turning

(26:20):
to Christ for the first time or learning how to
make His name known among their families and friends. And
I hope you've been encouraged by something you've heard from
PowerPoint recently, no matter how long you've been listening. My
prayer is that God speaks into your life every time
you tune in or flip on the TV or connect online,
because He is always working to reach people with his

(26:42):
love and truth. And that's why I'm asking for your
special help today. Your support is vital to keep these
biblical messages coming your way and going out strong to
tell more people about the love of Jesus. So please,
knowing how God is is use PowerPoint in your own life.

(27:02):
Give a gift today to extend that blessing into more
lives around the world. You can be sure that God
will use your support to proclaim the Gospel till the
whole world hears thank you for your generosity.

Speaker 1 (27:16):
And that is today's power Point. Remember when you give
a gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll
send you doctor Graham's booklet, God's Promises for Doubt Filled
Days as our thanks called one eight hundred seven ninety
five four six two seven. That's one eight hundred seven
ninety five four six two seven. You can also text

(27:37):
the word Promises to five nine seven eight nine and
join us again next time as doctor Graham brings a
message about where true healing for our nation really begins.
That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with
Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministry.

Speaker 3 (27:54):
Say